Kick 'em in the Face

I set a goal several months ago to do a pull-up with a 25 lb plate attached to a belt around my waist.  For some reason, this goal fell off my radar as I focused on wide grip pull-ups and pounding out sets of 10 close grip pull-ups. I failed to achieve my goal of benching 135lbs on Monday and was feeling a little frustrated about not meeting the goal when I remembered my pull-up goal.

I knew Tuesday was going to be the day to crush this one the minute I walked into the gym.  I had renewed energy and drive that has been lacking for a couple of weeks.  After warming up with lat pulldowns and wide grip pull-ups, I did one set with a 15lb ball between my knees and then moved up to the 25 lb plate.  I did 4 sets of 2 to 3 pull-ups with this weight.  Oh yeah!  Talk about feeling like a beast when you can actually put a belt around your waist and hang some weight from it:)

Holy Soreness

After a couple weeks of not really feeling it in the gym, I got my money's worth this week.  Monday was a back day, my favorite.  After doing 4 sets of 6 exercises I ended with wide-gripped pull-ups, close-grip chin ups and some other variations.  I tried to stick to 10 reps per set...which means I probably did 70 plus pull-ups of one version or another.  The result?  I was woken up with a lat cramp, not once but twice.  I'm used to getting cramps in my hamstrings, but my lat?  What the heck?  It was not fun, but it was a good sign that I worked as hard as possible!

Tuesday I was able to get in a good chest workout.  I did 7 sets of flat bench with 4 of those sets at 105 lbs (6,5,5,5).  Next week I'm going to try to put 135lbs up once...  that has always been my goal and I think I am close.  I haven't attempted it before, so we shall see!

In the meantime, today is a R-E-S-T day:)  I have a track meet this evening, so I'll be on my feet for 4 hours in the cold rain, joy oh joy!  This is the first year that I can remember having terrible weather.  It's usually a beautiful spring day and so much fun to watch the kids get out there and work hard.  booooo...

OH, and almost forgot to mention that I DESTROYED my obliques Monday morning with a 20 minute workout.  It is hard for me to get my abs sore, but right now I can barely touch my ribs, low back, or obliques without pain.  YES:)

Two New Recipes!

Alright, I'm back in action...I was busy in the kitchen this weekend and feel like I'm getting my motivation back.  The following recipes came completely out of the blue, well other than the fact that I knew I wanted to use protein in them.  I also learned a lesson....if you are making cookies and the cookie dough doesn't taste quite right, then don't even bother baking them!  This is what happened with the first batch of cookies that I tried to make.  I tasted the dough and when I couldn't "fix" it with additional ingredients I cut my losses and threw it out.  Luckily, the second batch was a home run.  :)

Promise that they don't taste burnt

Harvest Pancakes  (makes 8-10)

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 scoops egg white protein powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• almonds and dried cranberries to taste (or whatever else you'd like!)

Directions:

• Either mash the bananas and mix with wet ingredients or be lazy like me and put the banana and eggs in the blender and mix them together.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix. 
• Pour onto hot griddle (375 degrees) and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. 

 Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Protein Cookies (makes 24)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of old-fashioned oats
• 4 eggs
• 3 scoops of egg white protein powder
• 3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
• 2 tbsp PB2 or natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (sub a banana or apple sauce???) 
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Shape into cookies and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes

SQUATS

Considering I could not squat with just the bar (45 lbs) in November, I'm pleased to announce that yesterday I squatted 175 lbs for 5.  OH YEAH:)  I think 200 lbs is going down in the next couple of weeks.  It is amazing how quickly the body responds to being pushed.  I love it!  My legs and booty are loving it too...seeing some definite progress.  Progress is what it is about, people.    

Apple Pie Protein Muffins

In order to making snacking a little easier, I baked 24 Apple Pie Protein Muffins on Sunday.  These babies have 10 grams of protein and 14 carbs:)  They are not very sweet, which is how I like them....and fill my belly!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 5 scoops Vitol egg protein, vanilla ice cream flavor
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 apples, diced (i used red delicious)
• 1 1/2 cup liquid egg whites
• 2 cups non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp stevia

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
• Scoop into muffin tins (grease with coconut oil or baking spray)
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Remove, cool, and then keep in refrigerator. 

Serving size: One Muffin = 112 calories, 10 g protein, 14 carbs, 3 g sugar

No Dice

I'm not going to  be ready for a competition in 5 weeks.  Regina and I posed on Saturday and although I could push it and try to be ready, I don't feel like I am.  I would rather go in feeling a lot  more comfortable about my progress, which means I get to regroup and pick another date...a lot further in the future.

I really feel like my upper body is good to go, abs are good, but legs need some serious work.  They have always really bothered me, but even more so when I was posing.  UGH.  They put me in a major funk for a couple of days, but I'm pulling myself out of it.  Negative self talk is not good! I've worked hard to get here and will continue to work hard to get to where I want to!  Progress is nothing to sneeze at....no need to beat myself up over the little things and neither should you!

So for now, EAT CLEAN and LIFT HEAVY~!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hope you got a workout in before any green beer was consumed!  OR, maybe you made a healthy Saint Patty's Day meal?

I ended my back workout with a green PWO shake in honor of the day!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup ice
• 1 scoop Vitol egg protein
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 tsp of chocolate PB2
• 1/2 tsp creatine

And, just for fun here is an updated back pic:) 

Food Prep

This week I'm chowing down on chicken sweet potato meatloaf (same as the turkey sweet potato meatloaf sans the eggs and only a little bbq sauce and ketchup), scrambled eggs/egg whites, tuna with greek yogurt, baked chicken with a little PB2, brown rice, roasted asparagus, roasted brussel sprouts, homemade salsa....

I've been logging everything in MyFitnessPal and keeping my calories to 1800 a day.  The more veggies I eat, the fuller I am and less I need to eat during the day.  I got home from the gym last night and still had 600 allowable calories!  Don't you worry, I made light work of most of the calories and still woke up in the middle of the night hungry and STARVING this morning.  I can not wait to see the results in a couple of weeks....  BRING IT:)  

YUMMM....two meals in one:)

And just for fun, look at that swelling in my damn wrist.  What the heck is going on?!  It felt a little funny when I was lifting last night, but it wasn't until I took my gloves off that I noticed a freaking grape under my skin.  Pretty sure this is the start of another cyst.  Fantastic. 

Measurements

Here's to gaining weight, gaining some size in the arms, chest, legs, but still dropping body fat.  WOOT:)  

March 4, 2013

• Weight: 116      (+5 lbs)
• Overall Bodyfat:  16.4 % (-3.1)   
• Shoulders: 38.25 in. (same) widest: 39.75 in.
• Chest: 32.5 in.        (+1.0)
• Waist: 27.5 in.        (+2.0); smallest 25.5 (+1.5)  UGH...bloated??? YES indeed. 
• Hips: 34.75 in.       (-.75)
• Thighs: 16 / 19.25 / 21   (+.5)
• Calves: 13.25 
• Arms: 10.5 in.      (+1.0)

Changing it up...

Alright, today begins the first day of my official contest prep....going to attempt to do a show in 7 weeks.  That is not much time, but two other ladies from the gym are doing it and I just want to see what happens.

Soooo, I planned my meals for the day, cut back my calories slightly, and I changed up my lifting routine.

TRAINING PLAN: 

Monday (am): HIIT (incline sprints), abs, hamstrings and calves
Monday (pm): Chest/Triceps

Tuesday: Back/Biceps

Wednesday (am): HIIT, abs
Wednesday (pm): legs

Thursday: rest

Friday (am): HIIT, abs, quads, glutes
Friday (pm): shoulders

Saturday:  rest/ make up day

Sunday: soccer game

Shoulders, Not Quite Boulders

My shoulders have come a long way in the last couple of months, but they still need some work.  This week I decided to work shoulders one day, chest one day, and then follow up with a higher intensity shoulder/chest/triceps workout later in the week.  I really enjoyed the higher intensity workout that I did this morning.  It included flat bench (only up to 85 lbs), push press with barbell (40 lbs), dumbbell push press (25 lb), plyo push-ups, triceps extensions, and triceps push down.  

Hard to see with this crappy camera, but there are veins there. 

Bad news bears as far as the May 11th show goes.  We got news yesterday that the show has been cancelled due to an injury suffered by the promoter.  UGH.  Now I have to figure out what to do....wait until the fall for a show?  diet with Regina who has decided to go for a show only 7 weeks out and see what happens just for fun?  I guess I'll make a decision this weekend, but I am thoroughly disappointed...:(

yay, for some roundness.

I Don't Diet

Hallelujah.  It is very frustrating to be questioned about healthy eating.  No I'm not on a diet, I just like to eat food that fuels my body and is not overly processed.  It doesn't make me crazy or obsessed...just means that I care enough about my body to feed it what it needs.  Certainly there will be changes to come as I prepare for a contest, but again it is not a diet but a way to achieve my goals.  I eat a TON of food, but prefer it to be healthy!  I just recently started tracking my meals on MyFitnessPal and it reinforces the fact that I eat to keep my body running efficiently.  I can not believe people "diet" on 1200 calories a day.  I would starve!  I like the fact that I can create goals using this site and adjust even minor details and see how they affect me.  Yay, for having something useful that is EASY to use!

EAT REAL FOOD!

Cardio and Abs

I'd really prefer not to do cardio, but I feel like I need to get some in with the soccer season just getting started and I'd like to lean out a bit.  I've been doing sprints for the last few weeks to get myself ready, which paid off on Sunday when we played a young team of college students.  They were super fast and agile compared to us!  We got crushed 7-1, but I have faith that next time we play them we'll be working together as a team.  Most of us met for the first time just 30 minutes before the game.

Back to cardio...this morning I did 10 minutes of incline walking (15.0 incline, 3.0 speed) and 10 minutes of running (1.0 incline, 7.5 speed).

This was followed up with a HIIT type of ab workout.

• 1 minute of burpees, 30 russian twists with 25 lb plate X 2
• 10 sprints, 90 second plank X 2
• 1 minute bike sprint, 100 crunches X 2
• 30 sec jumping jacks, 25 hanging leg raises X 2

It was good to get the ole heart rate up there and keep it going.  I know I burned plenty of calories because within an hour of eating 3 eggs and two blueberry paleo pancakes I was starving again.

So far I've eaten:

• 1/3 cup oatmeal, flax, chia, protein powder, unsweetened almond milk
• 3 eggs, two pancakes
• 1/2 can leftover tuna with greek yogurt mixed in
• 2 eggs, 1/2 sweet potato, spinach salad with greek yogurt dressing
• Still have 1/2 sweet potato and can of tuna for later on this afternoon.

Blueberry Paleo Pancakes

I've been trying to use of some of the coconut flour that I bought, so I tried a new pancake recipe this morning and of course put my own spin on it.  The original recipe came from Paleo Spirit. 

This recipe made 20+ pancakes with only ONE CUP of coconut flour....high fiber, high protein, low carb.  That's how I roll. 

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 2 scoops egg protein
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• coconut oil for frying

Directions

• Beat eggs and then whisk in wet ingredients.
• Combine dry ingredients in small bowl and then slowly add to the wet ingredients. 
• Mix well. 
• Use coconut oil to grease a griddle at 400 degrees and then cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side.  

*I added blueberries to mine:) 

Ab Improvement

                                  DECEMBER                                                               FEBRUARY

I'm getting a little more defined now...oh yeah, and there are some veins....can't see them in the pic though....BRING IT ON:)

Progress..and a GOAL!

Growing

Trying to learn how to pose

After 2 years....finally wearing pants, oh yeah and leg warmers:) 

14 weeks out progress pic....

Yep, there has been some growing and now I have a goal....The Natural North America Figure Competition on May 11th.  It's 12 weeks away! We shall see if I can hang in there and make it work! 

New gear...

Love my new shirt and sweatshirt from Firedaughter Clothing!  I want to order more:)

Pics of the sweatshirt will be coming!

PUSH Reset...

I've been MIA for a few weeks, but I am back...  I'll have to back date some posts, but for now I'm moving forward. This week I did something that was very hard for me.  I took 4 days off from lifting anything upper body.  I kept my leg day and did some cardio, but thought my upper body needed a break.  I am so ready to go in and lift HEAVY tomorrow!!!

WIAW..

• Oatmeal with flax, chia seeds, unsweetened almond milk, and 1/2 scoop protein
• PWO shake with 1/2 banana and spinach
• 1 poached egg, 1/4 cup peas, 1/2 sweet potato
• 1 grilled chicken tender, 1/4 cup brussel sprouts, 1/2 sweet potato
• 2 grilled chicken tenders, 1/4 cup peas
• not sure about dinner....

New Year's Eve

We went out with another couple from the gym, Regina and Shaun, for New Year's.  We had a great time getting dinner and then having a few drinks out before coming back home to ring in the new year! Now if only I could grow to be her size!! haha..not happening anytime soon:)

Yeah, Look at those GUNS of hers! 

Squats

Happy New Year!  This year I'm going to grow some legs:)  I've always had a hard time with my legs, but the last two weeks have changed that....I'm lifting much heavier and seeing results quickly.  Let's hope it continues!!

Get out there and SQUAT!